St Christopher's Chapel
The Wolfendorf village is served by a small chapel a little way outside of the village, in a forest clearing: the chapel of St Christopher Cynocephalus. The chapel has its own graveyard where many generations of villagers have been laid to rest. History of the Church The church was founded in 1024 by Walther von Speyer, a German bishop and poet. He was an acknowledged scholar of his time and wrote a religious biography of St Christopher, the "Vita et Passio Sancti Christophori Martyris". Over the years the church has been almost completely rebuilt; the only remaining original part is some of the stonework in the undercroft and in the north wall. Parish records hint at some form of fire or other damage in the late 1400s, and much of the interior decoration appears to have been replaced in the late 1600s following another, less severe fire. It's built in a picturesque, albeit somewhat isolated location but has traditionally always had a very loyal congregation. The church has been without a pastor since 1808, when the incumbant chaplain, Father Gregory, died of old age. Interesting Features The church is quite traditional in nature, and follows the normal crucifix layout. However it does contain some rather unusual and delightful stained glass windows, and the carving on the pews is a good example of the traditional carvings of the region. Further examples of the region's links to the timber inductry can be seen in the chapel's nativity figurines, beautifully if rustically carved from the local wood and then painted. The most interesting item in the chapel is probably the stone baptismal font. It is a large white stone basin supported by a sturdy pillar carved with a variety of gargoyles and grotesques. It is reminiscent in style to the Gargoyle Well, and some scholars believe they may be the work of the same craftsman. There was a tradition in the late 1600s linking the two, and it was for a while customary for the font to be filled with water from the well for any baptism ceremonies. In 1857 a small iron key was found in the font, which opened the Brass Bound Chest found in the abandoned Silveren family home known as [[the Cottage with No Name]]. The Legend of St Christopher St Christopher is most commonly known as the patron saint of travellers, because of the legend of him carrying the christ child across a river. However in the Eastern Orthodox Church, certain icons identify St Christopher with the head of a dog. The idea of a dog-headed Christopher began during the time of Emperor Diocletian, when a man name Peprebus or Reprobus "reprobate" or "scoundrel" was captured in combat against tribes dwelling to the west of Egypt. He was reported to be of enormous size, with the head of a dog instead of a man, apparently a characteristic of the Marmaritae tribe. The German bishop and poet Walther von Speyer portrayed St Christopher as a giant of a cynocephalic species in the land of the Caanites who ate human flesh and barked. He claimed that eventually Christopher met the Christ Child and repented of his former behaviour and was baptised, and that he was then rewarded with a fully human appearance. Known Priests *1024 - Walther von Speyer *1666 - Father Michael *1808 - Father Gregory Find Out More *The Story of St Christopher *More about Walther von Speyer *Legends of St Christopher Category:Buildings